tutorials > admin law > what is the code of federal regulations

Lesson Three: What is the Code of Federal Regulations?

The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the single most important source of administrative law that you will use. For many areas of practice, including tax, securities, and environmental law, the statutes passed by Congress are very broad. Congress delegates to the agencies the authority to promulgate detailed regulations pursuant to the statute. These regulations have the force and effect of law.

All of the regulations currently in force from all of the federal agencies are published each year in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The CFR is organized very much like the United States Code. It is divided into 50 titles that represent broad topical areas subject to federal regulation (e.g., Title 26 is Internal Revenue; Title 40 is Protection of the Environment; and Title 47 is Telecommunications). Within each title, the regulations are broken down into chapters, parts, and then individual sections and subsections.

Unlike other codes that you are familiar with, the CFR does not have pocket parts; instead, the entire 200+ volume set is republished in paperback every year. The color of the covers of the print version of the CFR change every year - 2003 was blue, and 2004 is red.

You will have a chance to look at some pages of the CFR in the next section of this tutorial.

The CFR is available in print, on the web, and on Lexis and Westlaw. On the web, the official text of the CFR is available for free from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). The text is available either in text or PDF format, and full text searching and browsing options are available. NARA keeps the text from previous years on the web, too.

Our Administrative Law research guide has a complete listing of the availability of the CFR in all formats (electronic, print, and microfiche).